It was nighttime in Dodge Junction and ponies would normally stay at home. The only pony who wasn't inside was Brawny Bold as he was trotting through the empty streets. Brawny continued to trot until he arrived to Cherry Hill Ranch. He was amazed from how the cherry trees looked from the moon's light. The trees reminded Brawny of the apple trees from Sweet Apple Acres. Brawny stayed on the cleared pathway to see the farmhouse. The closer Brawny got to the house, the more nervous he became. He stopped when he made it to the front door. Brawny took a deep breath before he knocked on the wooden door. It opened to reveal none other than Cherry Jubilee, owner of Cherry Hill Ranch. Cherry smiled when she saw Brawny standing at her door.
"Why hey there, Brawny! I am so glad you made it!" Cherry said.
"Um...hey, Cherry." Brawny said nervously. "T-Thanks for inviting me." Brawny pulled out a bouquet of flowers. "Here are some flowers as a token of my appreciation."
"Oh Brawny!" Cherry said as she took the flowers. "That's so sweet of you!" Cherry took a whiff and sighed. "They smell lovely! I'll make sure to put these somewhere real nice." Cherry took Brawny's hoof and pulled him inside. "Come on! You'll get a cold for staying out there for so long!" Brawny followed Cherry inside. Brawny thought he was way out of his comfort zone right now. He would normally be in Ponyville while serving hayburgers to some hungry customers. Events from earlier lead him to where he was.
Several Hours Ago
During the day, Dodge Junction was hosting a food fair on the main street. Brawny was attending the fair to try new foods and come up with new ideas for meals. As Brawny wondered past the many food stalls, he came across a very specific stall. It was filled with a variety of cherry-based dishes that made Brawny's mouth water just from the sight of it. He just had to try at least one of those dishes. Brawny froze from what he saw behind the stall. It was a yellowish white earth-pony mare with curly red manes that were held with a yellow mane band with cherries on it. Around the mare's neck was a pink scarf and there was a beauty mark on her cheek. Brawny couldn't say a word as he was too distracted from the pretty mare.
"Well howdy there, handsome. I'm Cherry Jubilee, proud owner of Cherry Hill Ranch. What can I do ya for?" The stall mare asked.
"I-I'm Brawny Bold and I..er...wanted to try some of your cherry dishes, madam." Brawny said nervously. One of the many things that makes Brawny nervous was pretty mares.
"Sure thing! I'll give you my best-selling dish!" The stall mare brought out something deep fried on a small plate. Brawny wasn't sure what kind of dish it was since it was concealed. Brawny took one whiff of it and his doubts vanished. Brawny took the dish and bit a piece of it. Brawny was lost for words as he chewed. He tasted the crunchy wrapping along with the sweet cherry filling that was inside of it.
"Wow! This taste great!" Brawny said as he took another bite from it.
"I'm glad you like it! It's called a cherry changa...or was it a chimmy cherry? Anyway, my friend, Pinkie Pie, showed me the recipe for it and I just had to sell it at my stall!"
"Oh I know Pinkie Pie." Brawny replied. "She and I live in Ponyville. She really knows how to throw a party."
"That's interesting. What brings a Ponyville stallion like you here?" Cherry asked.
"I came to attend this food fair." Brawny answered. "There is so much food I want to try."
"I could tell you have a great taste for food when I saw you eat that cherry changa. Do you cook as well?" Cherry asked.
"Yeah, I work in a food cart and I make hayburgers for customers. When I don't work, I try new recipes."
"I always appreciate a stallion who can cook." Cherry said with a wink. This made Brawny blush.
"Well...thank you." Brawny said as he gave Cherry some bits for the food.
Before Brawny left, Cherry spoke some more. "Say Brawny, can I ask you something?" Brawny stopped and turned back to Cherry.
"Um...sure." Brawny said.
"Since you will be in town for a couple of days, how about I show you how to make some of these cherry dishes?" Cherry asked. Just the thought of making such lovely foods excited Brawny.
"Sure, that would be great!" Brawny smiled.
"Lovely, you can meet me at my cherry orchard tonight! Just trot down Dodge Junction's streets until you see some cherry trees. Keep going and you will find my farmhouse. That is where I live."
"Alright, I'll be there!" Brawny said.
"I'll see you soon!" Cherry said as she waved her hoof. Brawny trotted away while eating his cherry changa. He felt really excited as he was going to get cooking lessons on how to make those great meals. Brawny stopped as he just realized that he was invited to a mare's house.
Present
Cherry let go of Brawny's hoof when they both entered the house.
"Now you wait here while I put these flowers in a nice vase." Cherry said as she left the living room. Brawny looked around the room while waiting. The wallpaper had patterns of red and yellow cherries on it. Framed photos were hung on the walls. Some of the pictures had mostly Cherry on them. The furniture looked like something from a wild west film. Brawny thought it was a nice-looking place.
"I'm back!" Cherry said as she returned with the flowers inside of a red vase. "I found the perfect vase for these flowers!" Cherry placed the vase on the coffee table. "Did I keep you long?"
"Um...no, it's fine. I was kept busy by seeing how lovely your house looks." Brawny said as he gestured to the living room.
"If you think the living room is great, wait until you see my kitchen!" Cherry said as she took Brawny's hoof again and pulled him to the kitchen. Brawny saw that the kitchen was a little small and it also looked western just like the living room.
"Wow, it looks quite rustic. I like rustic." Brawny commented.
"I know it doesn't look fancy, but this kitchen here has helped me make great cherry dishes." Cherry claimed. "Before we get started, we should prepare ourselves first." Cherry removed her mane band and her manes fell down. She then retied her manes into a ponytail. Brawny blushed as he thought Cherry looked attractive even with her manes down. Cherry took a white apron from a wall hook and put it on her body. "Say Brawny, is it alright if you help me tie my apron's strings. I always find it difficult to do this part."
"S-Sure," Brawny said nervously. Brawny was practically a pro when it came to tying an apron. He had done it loads of times when he cooked. This time was different as he was tying an apron on a mare. Brawny tried to slow his breathing while he tied the apron's strings. He was able to tie it in the right way. That was until Brawny got a whiff of Cherry's manes. The fragrance was similar to that of cherries. Brawny couldn't help but feel calm as he took in Cherry's aroma with his nuzzle.
"Um, Brawny, is everything alright?" Cherry asked curiously. Brawny quickly got out of his trance.
"Uh yeah! I'm almost done!" Brawny said as he finished tying Cherry's apron.
"Thanks, Brawny." Cherry smiled. "Now, let's start with making a nice bowl of cherry salad. First, we cut up the vegetables and the cherries. Brawny, I want you to cut some vegetables. They should be in the fridge." Cherry said as she pointed at a large fridge.
"No problem," Brawny said as he went into the fridge and brought out the vegetables.
"While you are doing that, I'll prep the cherries." Cherry said. Brawny used a small knife to peel and cut a carrot into small slices. It was easy for Brawny to cut the vegetables thanks to his years of experience cooking. Brawny turned to check on Cherry. She was in the middle of cutting up some small cherries into smaller pieces. Brawny was surprised that Cherry was able to cut each cherry at a quick pace. He also couldn't help but notice how lovely Cherry looked while cooking. Cherry spotted Brawny staring at her.
"Is there something wrong?" Cherry asked.
"N-No! No, nothing is wrong. I, er, was just impressed that you were able to cut the cherries so fast." Brawny commented.
"I have helped my momma cut up cherries for so many years. So I know my way around cutting. I also try not to be too fast as one wrong move and I could lose a hoof." Cherry said.
"Yeah, I remember this one time my mom pretended she cut her own hoof from cutting vegetables. I panicked so much from seeing that. When my mom revealed that her hoof was fine, she told me that what would happen if I don't keep my eyes on what I am cutting."
"Wow, that must have been traumatic." Cherry commented.
"Nah, it was my mom's way of making sure that I learn that cooking can be dangerous if I'm not careful." Brawny said.
"Your mom sounds like an interesting mare. I would like to get to know her one of these days." Cherry said as she went back to cutting the cherries. Brawny blushed again as he wasn't what he would do if his mom and Cherry met. Brawny recomposed himself and went back to cutting his vegetables.
"Alright, I'm done with the vegetables." Brawny said.
"I'm done too!" Cherry said as she brought out a bowl full of cut up cherries. "Now we just need to pour the cherries and vegetables into a large bowl." Cherry poured the cherries into a large salad bowl and Brawny poured the vegetables as well. "Next, we start tossing the salad." Cherry pulled out two wooden spoons from the draws. "Is it alright if you toss the salad, Brawny?"
"Sure," Brawny said as he took the spoons and started mixing the salad. It was a bit difficult for Brawny as there was so much salad to mix with. Brawny was also trying not to smush the cherries. Unfortunately, a few of the cherries were already crushed from Brawny's mixing.
"That ain't how you mix the cherries." Cherry claimed before she moved behind Brawny. Brawny completely stopped when he saw Cherry's hooves grabbing on to his hooves. Cherry's hooves led Brawny's hooves in a more slow and circular motion. "See? This is to prevent the cherries from getting crushed." Brawny couldn't say a thing as he was overwhelmed of having a mare hold on to him. Brawny's heart raced as not only he is able to smell Cherry's fragrance, he got to feel Cherry's soft hooves touching his. Brawny remained silent while Cherry helped him mix the salad. A few more mixes later, Cherry let go of Brawny. "And that is how a cherry salad is made." Cherry said. Brawny breathed heavily as he was glad it was over. Cherry moved the salad bowl to the side and brought out a large pot. "Now, I'll teach you how to make some cherry bisque." Cherry said. She told Brawny to get certain ingredients and he did so. Once all ingredients were gathered, Cherry instructed Brawny on how to prep cherry bisque. Brawny thought this moment was nice as it reminded him of his days of helping his mom cook meals. She would prepare certain ingredients while she had Brawny work on some other part of the meals. Such nostalgia calmed Brawny's nerves of spending time with Cherry. Once all of the ingredients were put into the pot, Cherry and Brawny watched as the bisque cooked. After a few minutes, Cherry used a spoon to taste some of the bisque. "Mmm! This taste great!" Cherry said as she scooped up some more bisque and brought it close to Brawny. "Here, have a taste." Cherry said. Brawny hesitated as he knew the spoon Cherry was using was from her mouth. Brawny thought it was almost an indirect kiss from Cherry.
"Um, I could get my own spoon to taste it." Brawny suggested.
"Nah, it's fine. I'm not sick or anything." Cherry said as she put the spoon closer to Brawny's mouth. "Come on," Brawny didn't know what to do as he was getting pressured. Brawny felt his nose getting tingling. Before Brawny could do anything, he squeezed. Not only Cherry to drop the spoon, she was also splattered by some of the bisque that was in the spoon.
"Oh gosh! I am so sorry!" Brawny said as he hurried to grab some napkins and brought it to Cherry. Brawny was confused when he saw Cherry laughing.
"It's fine, it's fine." Cherry said as she took the napkins and wiped the bisque off her face. "I guess it's a sign that the cherry bisque has too much pepper." Once Cherry cleaned up her face, she picked up the dropped spoon and put it in the sink. She drizzled some sugar into the bisque to counter the pepper. "Here, now you can try it." Cherry offered. Brawny wasn't so hesitant this time as Cherry didn't taste the bisque first. Brawny sipped the spoon and smiled.
"Wow! This really taste great!" Brawny claimed.
"I could tell." Cherry said. "You're not sneezing again." Cherry couldn't help but chuckle while Brawny laughed sheepishly from Cherry's joke. The cherry bisque was complete and the ponies moved on to the main course, fried oats drizzled with cherry sauce. Cherry instructed Brawny on how to fry the oats. This was a cake walk for Brawny as he had often fried hay patties at his food cart. Once the fried oats were done, Cherry showed Brawny how to make the cherry sauce and poured it over the oats. Brawny looked in awe from how amazing the fried oats dish looked with the cherry sauce. "Now that everything is ready, we can get to the best part: eating our meals!" Cherry picked up the bowl of salad. "Brawny, could you help me get these dishes to the dining table?"
"No problem," Brawny said as he picked up the plates that had the fried oats on them. Brawny trotted to the nearby table that had all of the silverware, plates, and napkins already set up. Once all of the food was on the table, Brawny pulled the chair for Cherry. "Allow me, Cherry,"
"Why thank you kindly, Brawny." Cherry said as she sat on the chair and Brawny pushed it in. Brawny sat down on his chair and the two ponies started to eat. Brawny couldn't help but moan loudly from how good the food was. This caught the attention of Cherry who chuckled from Brawny's reaction. "I take it you are enjoying my cherry dishes?"
"Absolutely!" Brawny said. "I never would have thought that you could make all sorts of great cuisines with cherries!"
"Well, when life gives you lemons, you can make lemon squares." Cherry said. "In my case, when life gave me cherries, I make cherry pies." Cherry gave a light wink which made Brawny swallow his food whole. He tried to think of another topic to discuss with Cherry.
"How long have you worked at Cherry Hill Ranch?" Brawny asked.
"I have worked here for a long time." Cherry replied. "I came here after my performer days with Buffalo Bull's Wild West Show. I was raised in a cherry orchard similar to Cherry Hill Ranch. So I was able to do such a great job that I became the owner."
"You were a performer?" Brawny said while surprised.
"Yes sir, I did all sorts of tricks with my lasso." Cherry commented. "You should have seen me back then!" Brawny could already imagine Cherry doing some tricks with rope. "So Brawny," This made Brawny get out of his thoughts. "What made you want to cook hayburgers for a living?"
"It started around a few years ago when I just got done with school. I was so conflicted on what I wanted to do in life. I went from part-time job to part-time job until I recalled that I enjoyed making meals for me and my family. That was when I got my cutie mark." Brawny said as he showed Cherry his cutie mark of a burger on top of a spatula. "My mark is a burger as it's one of my favorite foods. My parents were willing to help me by investing in a food cart for me to serve my hayburgers. I have been happy ever since."
"I'm glad you found your calling." Cherry said. "Does your business get busy?"
"Some days it does while some days it doesn't." Brawny answered. "It usually depends. What about Cherry Hill Ranch? Does it also get busy?"
"Oh it gets really busy!" Cherry answered. "I get requests for cherries from all over Equestria! My staff and I have to kick each tree to get the cherries, sort out the red cherries from the yellow cherries, and then ship them off to the trains!"
"Is there a difference between yellow cherries and red cherries? It sounds really complicated to sort out the cherries if they taste the same." Brawny commented.
"Both red and yellow cherries do taste the same." Cherry answered. "It is just that some customers prefer to have them separated. One time, I made a special order for Countess Coloratura and she prefers to have her red and yellow cherries separated."
"I can relate to making special requests." Brawny said. "One time, one of my customers wanted his burger to be cooked specifically with the pickles first, then the patty, ketchup, tomato, lettuce, and finally the cheese. Why would a pony want a burger in that order? Was the world going to explode if I didn't follow his request?" Cherry couldn't help but laugh from what Brawny said. "There were also times when my job gets interesting. I remember this one time, Princess Twilight was at my food cart while she wore a trench coat, a fedora, and a pair of sunglasses."
"You're kidding!" Cherry said.
"I guess she didn't want ponies see her order burgers. She wanted to order my deluxe hayburger meal as my burgers were a bit better than the burgers at the local restaurants. I obviously knew it was Twilight despite her disguise. I didn't say anything and played along." Cherry laughed again which made Brawny smile. The ponies went on to talk about other stuff like things that went on in Ponyville and Dodge Junction. Brawny never thought that he would be able to talk to a nice mare like Cherry. The food was getting eaten while Brawny and Cherry talked until all of the dishes were almost empty. "Woo! I am so stuffed!" Brawny said as he patted his full stomach.
"I haven't had a great meal like that for a long time!" Cherry commented.
"Don't you usually cook these dishes regularly?" Brawny asked.
"Yes, but it tastes a lot better with company." Cherry said while smiling. Brawny blushed again from receiving the compliment.
"The food is also great because of your great skills as a cook." Brawny said.
"You had a part in it as well. I have met many stallions and they don't have the cooking skills you have. We can call it a two-pony effort." Cherry thought of something. "You know, there is a special ingredient that makes these dishes so delicious."
"Really? I didn't see you put anything particular in each of the dishes." Brawny said.
"It is a very secret ingredient that was passed down to my family through generations. I believe you should have a right to know it. But promise me that you will never share this secret ingredient to anyone else." Cherry said.
"Okay, I promise not to tell anyone else." Brawny said.
"I have to whisper it to you. Just stay there." Cherry said as she got up from the table and made her way to Brawny. Brawny felt nervous again as Cherry was very close to him. "Alright, I'll tell you know." Brawny leaned a bit further towards Cherry to hear the secret ingredient. Instead of Brawny getting a whisper, he receives a kiss on his cheek by Cherry. Brawny's face turned all red as he just gotten a kiss from Cherry. She simply giggled from Brawny's reaction. "You're so cute when you're flustered." Cherry said. Brawny was panicking so much that he accidentally fell back from his chair and hit his head on the floor.
Brawny slowly woke up while feeling groggy. He opened his eyes to see that he was in Cherry's living room. He felt something cold on his head.
"Oh thank Celestia you're awake!" Cherry said. Brawny looked up and saw Cherry's face of relief. Brawny immediately panicked and quickly got up from the couch. "Well, it looks like you're still able to move around. That's a good sign." Cherry said as she got up.
"What happened?" Brawny said before he felt some pain on his head.
"Easy there," Cherry said as she picked up an ice bag. "Now this will only hurt for a bit." Cherry said as she placed the ice bag on Brawny's forehead. Despite Brawny feeling some sting from the ice bag, the pain on his head started to fade. "To answer your question, you accidentally fell on your noggin after your fall. I pulled you to the couch and put the ice bag on your head so you could recover. I wasn't sure if you were going to wake up so I was about to go get help. That was until you woke up."
"I'm really sorry for worrying you." Brawny said as he sat back down.
"I should be the one who should apologize." Cherry said while blushing. "I shouldn't have surprised you with my kiss." Brawny blushed while remembering Cherry kissing his cheek. "I just couldn't help it. Out of all of the stallions I have met, you were very unique. I could also notice that from the way you cook." Brawny felt touched from Cherry's words.
"Thanks, I appreciate it." Brawny replied. "Just promise me not to surprise me like that."
"I promise." Cherry assured.
"I'm going to clean up the table before I leave." Brawny said as he made his way to the kitchen.
"Let me help you." Cherry said as she followed. "You're my guest and I want to make it up to you." Brawny and Cherry picked up the dishes and washed them in the sink. Once all of the dishes were done, Brawny was wiping up the counters.
"Alright, Cherry, the counters are done!" Brawny called out.
"Mighty fine job you did there." Cherry said as she came back from the fridge. In her hoof was a nice-looking cherry pie that caught Brawny's attention. "A great dinner like that shouldn't be over without a great desert! I made this cherry pie before you came here. I kept the pie in my fridge so it might be cold." Cherry cut the pie and offered Brawny a plate.
"I don't mind." Brawny said as he took the slice. "I actually prefer pie cold." Brawny and Cherry sat down again to eat their slices. Brawny was overjoyed from how sweet and delicious the pie tasted. Cherry smiled from seeing Brawny eating up the rest of his cherry pie slice.
Brawny exited Cherry's house while holding a bag full of leftovers and some of the cherry pie.
"Are you sure you want me to take some of your pie?" Brawny asked.
"Oh I insist!" Cherry assured. "Consider it as a gift for helping me cook dinner."
"I appreciate it." Brawny said. "I should get going now."
"Before you go, there is one last thing I want to give you." Cherry gave Brawny an envelop with an address already written on it. "That's the address to Cherry Hill Ranch. Feel free to write to me."
"That would be great!" Brawny said while smiling. "We could catch up with each other, exchange recipes, and even-" Brawny was interrupted when he received another kiss on the cheek by Cherry.
"Have a good night, sugar." Cherry winked before she sashayed back into her home. Brawny just stood there while blushing. A huge grin formed on Brawny's face as he turned and left Cherry Hill Ranch.
